According to data compiled by ONT officials, 271,075 passengers are expected to fly into and from ONT between December 18 and January 4, a 7% decrease compared with the same period two years ago. The daily average will be just over 15,000 and the highest volume days will be December 21 and December 22 when ONT expects more than 17,000 fliers each day.

“Ontario International experienced pre-pandemic passenger volumes over Thanksgiving and though we don’t expect the same levels in the weeks ahead our passenger terminals will still be bustling,” said Ronald O. Loveridge, vice president of the Ontario International Airport Authority Board of Commissioners. “We look forward to extending our holiday hospitality to customers who choose to travel. They will enjoy the first-rate, hassle-free experience they have come to expect from us.”

About Ontario International Airport
Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico, Central America and Taiwan. There is an average of 67 daily departures offered by nine air carriers. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com.

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Southern California’s Ontario International Airport (ONT) experienced the third-highest recovery rate among U.S. airports in August, welcoming up to 43% of the air travelers it handled a year ago.

According to data released by the Ontario International Airport Authority (OIAA), nearly 200,000 passengers traveled through ONT in August, about two-fifths of the total number of passengers compared to August last year. Domestic travelers totaled more than 193,000 and international passengers more than 3,000.

During the first eight months of the year, ONT greeted more than 1.7 million passengers, with domestic and international travelers totaling more than 1.6 million and 72,000, respectively.

“While we eagerly await the return of our customers in greater numbers, we are heartened by the pace of our recovery at Ontario,” OIAA Chief Executive Officer Mark Thorpe said in alluding to passenger screening data from the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA).

The TSA data, compiled on a weekly basis, showed that by late August ONT had recovered 43% of its passenger volume from August last year.

“No U.S. airport has been immune from the impact of the coronavirus and many continue to experience the loss of airline services, but with a robust customer base and fundamentally strong economy in the Inland Empire, Ontario is well-positioned for recovery.”

Airlines operating at ONT have restored nonstop flights to Atlanta, Chicago and Houston in recent months. Delta Air Lines announced it will begin service to Seattle in October while international carrier Volaris is planning new service to Mexico City beginning in November.

Freight shipments, meanwhile, grew to 70,000 tons last month, an increase of nearly 7% compared to August 2019. Over the first eight months of the year, freight tonnage was more than 570,000 tons, a nearly 20% increase over the same period in 2019.

Shipments of U.S. mail, which had declined for much the year, increased 32% in August. Freight and mail shipments combined grew more than 7.5% for the month and 18% on a year-to-date basis.

-PRNews Wire

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ONTARIO

The number of commercial flights through Ontario International Airport (ONT) is expected to increase in July, the third straight month airlines will restore flights to their schedules at the Southern California airport.

Based on current airline schedules, ONT will have average daily departures of 44 in July, more than the 37 in June and 24 in May. While the number of July flights is approximately 38% lower than July last year, it represents a significant improvement since April when the global coronavirus pandemic led to sudden and dramatic decreases in passenger volume of 90% or more at airports around the world.

A noteworthy development is the resumption of Delta Air Lines’ nonstop service to its Atlanta hub.

“We are pleased to see demand for air travel returning and, while increases in recent months may be modest, we are encouraged by the emerging trend,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “Airports across the U.S. took a real gut punch in April, but we have worked hard at Ontario to maintain facilities and enhance many services with an eye toward the day when our customers resume more normal travel routines.”

To accommodate the return of passengers, Parking Lot 3 will reopen on July 1.

Thorpe reiterated that all customers, visitors and employees must wear appropriate face coverings while at ONT and onboard flights. The airport continues to utilize enhanced safeguards to keep facilities clean and germ-free, including frequent sanitizing of high-touch surfaces with highly effective disinfectant and security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology. Passengers are also reminded to wash hands with soap and water frequently and use the many hand sanitizing stations that have been added throughout ONT terminals.

In the meantime, Parking Lot 3 the summer drive-in movie series continues at ONT in July with showings of “The Sandlot” (July 3), “Princess Bride” (July 17) and “Napoleon Dynamite” (July 31). These movies are being shown in Lot 5 at the airport.

About Ontario International Airport

Ontario International Airport (ONT) is the fastest growing airport in the United States, according to Global Traveler, a leading publication for frequent fliers. Located in the Inland Empire, ONT is approximately 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles in the center of Southern California. It is a full-service airport which, before the coronavirus pandemic, offered nonstop commercial jet service to 26 major airports in the U.S., Mexico and Taiwan. More information is available at www.flyOntario.com.

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Commercial air travel at Ontario International Airport (ONT) is showing signs of recovery for June based on published flight schedules, creating a sense of measured optimism among local officials that the worst of the unprecedented travel declines caused by the global coronavirus pandemic has passed.

According to current airline schedules, ONT will have an average 37 daily departures in June, a decrease of 46% compared with last June, yet a significant improvement over the 24 daily departures scheduled in May. The more than 50% increase in daily departures from May to June is a sign of encouragement for airport officials who have eagerly awaited indications that recovery is forthcoming.

“It may be too soon to say happy days are here again, but happier days might come earlier than some anticipated for ONT and our aviation partners,” said Mark Thorpe, chief executive officer of the Ontario International Airport Authority. “Since air travel volumes cratered virtually overnight in mid-March, we have scrambled to sanitize facilities, protect customers, visitors and those who work at the airport, and maintain payrolls. Needless to say, we are encouraged as airline bookings increase slowly but steadily and carriers restore flights accordingly.”

Thorpe also noted that all customers, visitors and employees must still wear appropriate face coverings while at ONT and onboard flights. The airport continues to utilize enhanced safeguards to keep facilities clean and germ-free, including frequent sanitizing of high-touch surfaces with highly effective disinfectant and security screening trays treated with powerful antimicrobial technology. Passengers are reminded to wash hands with soap and water frequently and use the many hand sanitizing stations that have been added throughout ONT terminals.

Nonstop service from ONT to seven destinations will remain suspended: Atlanta, Chicago (Midway), Dallas (Love Field), Houston (George Bush Intercontinental), New York (John F. Kennedy International), Orlando and Taiwan. Service to these destinations is tentatively scheduled to resume in July, according to future airline scheduled published this week.

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